How Many "A+" Players Have Families?

[elvicash]

I've been wondering how many good players out there are able to balance between practice, action, tournaments, and still having time to spend with their wives and kids?

Do these guys exist? Or are all the good players besides Johnny Archer (who is the only family man/pro that I can think of) trying to go at it alone?

I ask because I've been playing pretty well lately, but my family is way higher on my priority list...

Is it possible for an average player to become a great player (or even just above average) without totally dedicating your whole life to the game?

If u got the talent and the desire you can become as good as you want, if you been playing awhile and have not noticed alot of people giving you ups for your skills it is going to take alot more work.

There is 168 hr/wk I have heard 10k hours to super high level amateur or low pro. I bet Efren has 50k+ hours many under pressure. If you have 10 hours a week it will take 20 years, If you have 40 per week it willl take 5 yrs. These are grind it out hours I want to get better this is my best stroke on every shot. If you can do that, make a living and go home give your family time you are a better manager of time than most.

I see alot of the same people in the pool room everytime I go but they are in their hanging out not doing the work. I know a few pro with recognizeable names and they all put in a ton of time especially early on. If you are playing good and are on the improve good luck and fire at it, do not give up your family time especially if your kids are young. You can never get those hours back. If your family is grown and you got the time then focus on pool it is great, does not pay well but hey alot of things do not pay so well.

 

[JoeyA]

To be an A+ player and follow today's "international" tournament trail, it is difficult to be a family man in the stereotypical meaning of the word "family."

The spouse or significant other must be strong-willed emotionally and able to manage the family while the pool player is on the road. Most pool players who play pool full time and follow the tournament trail live out of a suitcase. Somebody needs to keep the home base and household afloat, and this is especially true when children are involved.

There are some players who make the sacrifice of family life and decide that living out of a suitcase, not having a permanent home, is the lifestyle they want to pursue. Unfortunately, when their talents and skills diminish with age, these poor souls go to their graves often forgotten by those who used to love them for their prowess on a field of green.

Some players, though, are very fortunate to have families that love them throughout their life, even when the family structure breaks up due to divorce or death. Ronnie Allen comes to mind. Allen Hopkins is a very loving father. Nick Varner has a strong woman who keeps the home front and family intact, allowing him to go on the road to promote pool as well as compete. Buddy Hall has a very nice family surrounding him in the autumn of his life. Johnny Archer's faith helps him keep his priorities straight. Robin Dodson has a very loving family.

It's a tough balance, and not everyone can hack it. The majority of so-called male professional pool players are unmarried. Some do seem to enjoy that single lifestyle, but they better enjoy it while they can still shoot. Fame in the pool world is short-lived, as one quickly finds out who really are their true friends if they get sick, go broke, become incarcerated, die, or can't pocket a ball anymore.

BTW, a big shout-out of thanks goes to Ronnie Wiseman, et al., for sending his friend, an incarcerated pool player, a whopping $500 earlier this week.

Ronnie did that? That is super cool. Thanks for letting us know about that. I always like to hear about pool players doing good stuff. You sure hear about the negative stuff far too often. Thanks Jennie.

Sorry about the derail but let me put in my $.02. If anyone has a family and wants to play pool at a high level, they need to purchase a table for their home so that they can practice at home. That's just my opinion..
Otherwise hanging out at the pool room is going to get old with the family really quick.

 

[wambamcam]

The biggest thing I think most people are missing is that most of these top players who are also "family valued" were great before starting a family. If you closely observe the good to great players at your local pool hall, I would bet that A) they spend virtually all of their free time playing and improving their game when not at work, B) developed their game at an earlier age to a point that they are now just maintaining a high level of play. I firmly believe that you can't just play a few hours a week (which most people with jobs and families and children do) and be a top player.

A top pro who's making a decent living, say $50,000 or more a year, has already been through the process of spending those grueling days and nights getting better. It's easier to settle down and find someone who will be supportive of the pool player's lifestyle if you're successful. Read any player's profile and you'll see that it almost always says that they started playing at an early age and honed their skills for multiple years without taking any detours like school, work, or much less starting a family.

 

["T"]

Worse case, no matter how well you do in the pool world, the AZ family will always be there.

 

[JAM]

Ronnie did that? That is super cool. Thanks for letting us know about that. I always like to hear about pool players doing good stuff....

It is kind of nice, Joey, to know that loyal friends actually do exist in this pool world. It is super cool.

 

[Scaramouche]

A lot of pro snooker players have families but they do get paid a lot more so maybe that's a bad example.

Snooker tournaments used to be few, made staying home a necessity.

In the past year the number of tournaments has greatly increased.
http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/Tournaments/FullCalendar

England
China
Thailand
Australia
And that was just June and July, what used to be dead time

Players started to avoid some tournaments, with this result
http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2011/08/hearn-goes-nuts-over-brazil.html

 

[naji]

Sorry about the derail but let me put in my $.02. If anyone has a family and wants to play pool at a high level, they need to purchase a table for their home so that they can practice at home. That's just my opinion..
Otherwise hanging out at the pool room is going to get old with the family really quick.

Sorry Joey, having a table at home is really nice, i do, but what would kill marriages is being away from home, i travel for my good paying job, not pool, still my wife hates it, but she has no choice. Women today have different demands, they want you at home not to look at you or sleep with you, but to do shores help with kids, private chauffeur , take them out, on and on never ending honey do lists, also kids need that worm and love feeling all the time to be good at school and life in general, at least until they drive their own. At the end there is not time left for pool. Plus i will be highly surprised if women, or men accepts the fact that their spouses income is not 100% guaranteed, one year he makes 50k a year, the other 10k a year, and the painful fact that 99% of pro players gamble and we know the chances of making money there.
At the end to be a great player, the side of brain that deals with day to day issues has to be free, and all obligations met toward all family members, father, mother, brothers, sisters, spouse, kids and a lot of other things otherwise, he will not be at his best.
Sorry to say the hard truth, we have to choose our priorities, family or pro pool, unfortunately cannot have both, my choice was family and some pool when the time is available, especially when i travel. Now one of my kids at college, the other almost their, so got two more years before i step it up in pool, maybe the wife would travel with me who knows.

 

[C.Milian]

Gandhi said we should learn like we'll live 4eva...live as if there is no tomorrow. Fool me once fool me again. J/k...bush cracks me up especially when he's smirking.

I have learned that my thoughts on things are ever changing. If you live with regrets, you're not really living. I don't see how you can't become the pool player you want to be within your lifetime. Championship speed isn't monopolized by the young. Just being able to come to a really clean, breezy poolhall to play a few games of one pocket with my bud is really all I need. Then, to come home to a nice family (when I have one), would be a completely fine day.

 

[DrGonzo]

Mosconi had a wife and three kids....he completely ignored them, but they were still there.

 

[Fatboy]

I've been wondering how many good players out there are able to balance between practice, action, tournaments, and still having time to spend with their wives and kids?

Do these guys exist? Or are all the good players besides Johnny Archer (who is the only family man/pro that I can think of) trying to go at it alone?

I ask because I've been playing pretty well lately, but my family is way higher on my priority list...

Is it possible for an average player to become a great player (or even just above average) without totally dedicating your whole life to the game?

the real question is what % of A+ players have a family???

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

As pt and Joey have already pointed out, a table at home would seem to be an absolute necessity, if you want to keep a happy family life while shooting for the stars with your pool game.

And I think another good example of someone who struck a nice balance with their pool and family life would be Tommy Kennedy. :smile:

Best,
Brian kc

 

[tigerseye]

One alternative is sleeping on the sofa after returning home from an extended Vegas pool tournament trip. Some players may be welcomed home by unconditional love from one family member.

lol!!:thumbup: